Projects

Because we care and have compassion we want to make a difference.
Our aim is to empower and support people.
We do this with respect and empathy, mindful of the equality of all.

Since the YMCA moved to The Walk in Cardiff in the early 1980’s, we have provided over 1.3 million bed nights of temporary accommodation for homeless people in our housing projects. We have done this by developing both our range of accommodation and the way in which we work with residents. Our projects do not just concentrate on providing for the immediate needs of homeless people but also address the causes of their homelessness.

We have four city centre housing projects offering flexible support services, and five schemes offering a range of additional complimentary services. These include a range of temporary accommodation options for vulnerable men and women of all ages and backgrounds who are in housing need.

We know it isn’t enough to just offer people a roof over their head and we understand that many people who become homeless have experienced difficulties or crises that have affected their ability to cope. That’s why our services are designed, not just to provide a place to stay but to offer support, advice, skills training and personal development opportunities so that residents leave feeling more confident and assured about taking their place in the community.

The Walk

The Walk is the YMCA’s main unit and is a temporary homeless hostel consisting of 76 single rooms. Residents are provided with food, accommodation, support and access to services until more permanent housing can be found. The provision of support follows an initial assessment process in which residents’ support needs are identified and a Support and Action Plan agreed. This is reviewed and updated monthly.

Support staff prov

ide advice and assistance with issues such as housing, education, employment, substance misuse, offending, mental and physical health, life skills, relationships and benefits. Support Workers can also make referrals to other projects and agencies in and around Cardiff who can provide more specialised support.

The Ambassador

The Ambassador is a homeless hostel based in Oakfield Street, Roath, consisting of 36 rooms. Residents living here are referred to the YMCA by Cardiff Council’s Homelessness Department, having been assessed as having priority for housing due to their personal circumstances.

When residents arrive, they are allocated a Support Worker who meets with them on a regular basis to help address their support needs. Support involves assessing the residents’ issues and making a support plan with them, which is reviewed and updated monthly. This time is also used to prepare for move-on. Residents are provided with accommodation, food and support services until they are re-housed by the local authority.

*At both the Walk and the Ambassador, Support Workers provide advice and assistance with issues such as housing, education, employment, substance misuse, offending, mental and physical health, life skills, relationships and benefits. YMCA Support Workers also make referrals to other agencies in and around Cardiff when more specialised support is needed.

Arthur Sansom House (ASH)

Arthur Sansom House (ASH) is a semi-independent re-settlement project where each resident works through a ‘modular life skills development programme’ tailored to their individual needs.

The five units of accommodation are on the upper floors of 2 East Grove, situated next to the main hostel at The Walk. Support is provided and allocation is usually through the main hostel residency.

Our Advice & Resettlement Worker delivers the Daily Living Skills Programme, which includes cooking, cleaning, budgeting and communication skills, to help residents prepare for move-on into independent living. Residents are taken through this programme to develop the life skills needed to maintain a tenancy and this includes help to improve self-confidence through the development of essential life skills.

‘Living in ASH helped me to budget, cook and deal with my bills’.

YMC8

YMC8 is a long term independent accommodation project consisting of 7 self-contained flats. Applicants for the project are either from the YMCA hostel or are external referrals. Support is provided by the Support Department for up to two hours per week where applicants are helped to address any issues. The primary aim of the YMC8 project is to provide long-term supported accommodation to people in housing need who have additional long-term support needs and for whom independent living is an attainable goal. Most tenants remain at the project for at least two years before moving on.

The Design for Life

The Design for Life scheme was designed and developed to enable residents to enhance their basic and general skills through the provision of a programme of accredited and non-accredited training, activities and information and advice, in order to improve employability and sustain self-sufficiency once residents move on into alternative accommodation.

Situated on the ground floor of Arthur Sansom House (ASH) next to the YMCA, the facility consists of two training and communication rooms and a kitchen.

The centre provides internet access for all YMCA residents and a fully equipped training room. The centre is staffed by a full-time Advice and Activities Worker who provides advice on a range of issues and organises/facilitates high and low impact activities, including: football training, snooker, film and quiz sessions and local interest outings - and an Advice and Development Worker who organises basic skills development sessions including: Learn Direct, literacy and numeracy, career development workshops, digital storytelling, job searches and applications/CV writing.

Addressing ‘Basic Skills’ in literacy and numeracy is very much a key factor of this service and the informal and familiar surroundings enable residents to ‘test the water’ in a range of activities and learning opportunities.

Although DFL is a scheme that residents can access informally and voluntarily, the project is extremely popular with typically 45% of hostel users accessing the scheme every week.

Work Incentive Scheme (WIS)

Work Incentive Scheme (WIS): The disincentives to work whilst in receipt of Housing Benefit and living in a homeless hostel have been overcome at Cardiff YMCA HA by developing a scheme that gives participants a range of incentives to encourage and support them into training, volunteering and work whilst living at the hostel. The WIS scheme has been operational since 2004 and throughout that time the number of residents participating has risen to between 30-40% at any given time.

Support staff help residents find and maintain paid or voluntary work and help set up work and voluntary placements.

Being in employment can give individuals greater self-confidence, more independence, work experience, and the opportunity to meet new people and earn and save money.

By offering incentives to scheme participants and giving them the opportunity to save, we aim to lessen the time residents spend waiting for permanent accommodation by encouraging private renting as well as applications to social housing.

Support given to residents looking for work includes help with letters, CVs, job applications and preparation for interviews. There is also a jobs board in the hostel which is updated daily and the Support Team liaise with the Job Centre regarding any new vacancies.

One floor of the hostel has been set aside for residents on the scheme and a pack lunch is provided every working day. A starter pack of toiletries is also provided.

To take part in the scheme participants are expected to work 16 hours or over a week; engage regularly with their Support Worker, provide evidence of work i.e. payslips, proof of income and have to be living in a hostel or supported accommodation and willing to move to the YMCA

The WIS is unique in hostel provision in Cardiff. Its incentives give added value to the Foyer placements, benefits the individuals involved, and promotes a positive work culture within the hostel.

To date WIS has been cited on Radio Wales, promoted at the Cardiff County Council Annual Homelessness Conference, the Connect Housing Magazine, Supporting People News Letter, and in recognition of its success, was awarded the Pat Chown Award for Innovation in Housing.

The Foyer Project

The Foyer Project: The YMCA has been a partner with the Cardiff Foyer since it was first set up as a dispersed Foyer in Partnership with Cardiff Community HA. The YMCA provides four rooms on the third floor of The Walk where up to four young people between the ages of 16 and 25 are accommodated.

Basic support is provided by the YMCA, and work/training support is provided through the Foyer Support Workers who are employed through Taff Housing Association. The support available includes access to permanent accommodation, education, training and work, and benefits advice and other relevant services.

Emergency Beds

Emergency Beds: Our hostels are almost always full, and we operate a waiting list with people waiting for a room to become vacant. However, we recognise the urgent and immediate need for some people with literally nowhere to go but the streets. For this purpose, we keep available two rooms for an emergency/crisis. These rooms are staffed 365 days of the year. Someone can stay overnight, have a cooked dinner, breakfast in the morning and be given some practical advice and contacts to help them find a place to stay in the longer-term. This may be at the YMCA, or another frontline hostel. We take self-referrals and referrals from the local Emergency Bed Co-ordinator for street homeless people. The beds are used nearly every night of the year. Last year we extended this provision to include an overnight facility for referrals from the Cardiff Night Bus (the UK's first mobile outreach centre for rough sleepers). We do this in partnership with Cardiff Council’s Homelessness Department, who allow vacant nominated rooms for this purpose.

‘I will always be grateful to the YMCA for being there when I needed them. Without them I don’t think that I would have got my life back on track’.

Private Rented Sector Scheme (PRS)

Private Rented Sector Scheme (PRS): Recognising the limited stock of social housing available in Cardiff, we’ve developed a scheme to work with private landlords willing to offer their vacant properties to YMCA residents on an ‘as and when’ basis. The scheme has enabled us to provide an additional housing option to meet the move-on needs of residents wishing to move out of the hostel and primarily works with people who are living on a low wage or are in receipt of benefits. Landlords are offered a bond/bond guarantee, support to help set up the tenancy, and access to an independent arbitrator in the event of a claim against the bond at the end of the tenancy. The scheme also provides a point of contact should a dispute arise. Residents receive resettlement support for up to 8 weeks while they settle into their new home.

Pet Rooms

Pet Rooms: Homeless people with pets find it even more difficult to find somewhere to live. With advice from the Dog’s Trust we have been able to set aside two rooms for people with pets. We have successfully housed a number of people with cats, and a number with dogs ranging from Boxers to Jack Russells and Rottweilers and they have all been very well behaved and popular with residents and staff alike!

The Dogs Trust runs a veterinary entitlement scheme for homeless dog owners to access free preventative treatment (neutering / worming / vaccinations etc) including any treatment needed up to £250. The dog owner is expected to contribute the first £10. There is no cost to the organisation and the support department has responsibility for liaising with the Dogs Trust to access free vet care for service users with dogs.

‘People told me that having my dog was holding me back, but she was everything to me. And having lost everything else – my home, job, car, my possessions – I couldn’t bear to lose her too’.

Our news items, annual reports, case studies and video, will give you a good idea of what we do, why we do it and how well we do it – from the people who have accessed our services.

If you have any questions about any of our services, e-mail enquiries@cardiffymcaha.co.uk.